- How do you attract or retain staff when they know their jobs may disappear?

- How do you forecast capital needs -- new ambulances and related equipment?

- How do you raise more than $300,000 annually from the community when prospective donors may view GEMS as potentially out of business in a year?

- How do you renew multi-year lease agreements?

- How do you manage at all on a one-year basis.

This is only a short list of the consequences of a year-to-year contract. Charlee Tufts could add many more.

The committee can't be that naive -- can it?

There are so many other substantive issues facing the town, it seems a waste of everyone's time to debate this issue. GEMS is an outstanding organization that has provided first-rate service to the community since the mid-1980s.

As the New Englanders say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," and GEMS ain't broke!

While shopping at the Glenville Stop & Shop, I cannot help but notice the horrible condition of the U.S. and POW flags displayed on the pole outside of the nearby post office. It is hard to believe that a federal agency would display these tattered and torn flags as symbols of our country. At a recent Memorial Day ceremony, a Vietnam veteran made his objections known about flag designs on T-shirts, bandanas, and all sorts of clothing items. Our flag, he said, is what covers the caskets of deceased members of the military. It would be better for the Glenville Post Office to leave the pole flagless until they replace these sorry looking flags that are flying there each day.

Many reasons have been presented as to why the Off Track Betting parlor in Downtown Stamford is a terrible idea. Another argument against it is the cruelty suffered by greyhounds that are used for racing (one of the "sports" that gamblers will be able to bet on at the newly approved OTB parlor in Stamford). According to the ASPCA, "Greyhound racing may seem like a harmless sport, but life in the fast lane is no picnic for these overworked dogs." Some of the suffering endured by these dogs include: confinement for long hours in cramped kennels, often leading to the spread of respiratory diseases and parasites; little social contact; and the possibility of serious injuries as a result of running on tracks that can be less than well-maintained. Massive overbreeding occurs in order to get the relatively few dogs that are fit to race. The pups with no potential are often destroyed; some are sold to laboratories for use in experiments. Young greyhounds outlive their usefulness to the racing industry by 5 years of age, or earlier. Rescue groups have sprung up to rescue greyhounds that have outlived their usefulness at the track, but other dogs are euthanized. Does Stamford really want to encourage this particular brand of animal cruelty? All this adds up to another reason why the Board of Representatives made a big mistake in approving this OTB facility.